The Cavs are the new Warriors, and they’re just getting started
“We’re going to continue to build off of it.”
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green probably isn’t the most willing person to compliment the Cleveland Cavaliers, but even he couldn’t help himself after what he saw last week.
“They’re so intentional about the extra pass and this is a staple for us to drive swing, swing,” Green said after facing the Cavs. “That’s what we preached for years and they diced us up with it.”
“I was so thrilled [with what] Draymond said the other day,” Kenny Atkinson, who served as an assistant with Golden State for three seasons, said after the win against the Chicago Bulls. “[Our offense] is Warriors-esque.”
The Cavs have intentionally copied what the Warriors have made work for years. So far, it’s producing similar results as the Cavs currently have the best offense in the league.
“The way we want to play is very similar,” Ty Jerome said who has spent time with both organizations. “The space, the pace, the ball movement, the shot selection, that’s going to be similar.”
Friday’s game was another example of that. The Cavaliers opened with 49 first-quarter points. They closed the game with 18 in the final two minutes to improve their point differential in the NBA Cup. Both barrages were similar to what those peak Warriors teams were known for as well.
“I was thinking that today,” Caris LeVert said when asked about Atkinson’s comparison to Golden State. “When the game first started Donovan [Mitchell] hit three or four threes then Darius [Garland] hit three or four threes. I know they were thinking ‘Damn, these dudes don’t miss.’ And when I first got into the league, that’s how it felt when we were playing against the Warriors.”
The Warriors made it work with two of the best shooters of all time in their backcourt. The Cavs don’t have that, but Mitchell and Garland possess different skills that have allowed this team to function in a similar but different way.
For Mitchell, it’s been about being willing to embrace a different offense than what he’s been used to since his days with the Utah Jazz and his last two years in Cleveland.
“We came into this with a self-response and understanding that us getting off of [the ball],” Mitchell said. “I keep bringing up the corners, but sprinting to the corners, and spacing [forces] the defense to have to look to where we’re at.”
His head coach has noticed this as well.
“It’s not just him dominating [the ball] all the time,” Atkinson said of Mitchell. “He knows when he’s getting his touches. He knows what lineups he’s playing with, where he can get his touches. He’s just in a great niche, great role right now.”
This offense only works if you have a great ball mover as well. So far, Garland has been that.
“He’s a great passer,” Atkinson said. “I don’t say this lightly. I don’t think he’s a good passer.”
The two lead guards have set the tone for how the Cavs want to play, but it’s something that the whole team has completely bought into that has made it work.
“I think just hitting singles, not trying to make the home run play really,” LeVert said.
“You’re not going to hit a home run every play. If I come off of a pick-and-roll, a lot of times it won’t be to just come down and get a layup or make a great play. This play might just be, come off and hit the next man that’s wide open. It’s not a beautiful play, but it creates energy. The ball has energy once you hit the open man. Your teammate does the same thing and it becomes a domino effect.”
The individual play that sets everything up might not be beautiful, but the end result has been so far.
“We don’t have that hierarchy,” Atkinson said. “We just have this incredible chemistry, incredible understanding of each other, and respect for each other. It’s beautiful, beautiful to watch.”
The Cavs are in the midst of a 14-game winning streak to start the season. That hasn’t been done since the 2015-16 Warriors. They’re doing it by embracing a style that is new to them while still retaining their defensive identity. That is the key to what has made Golden State work.
The scary thing for the Cavs is that they’re just getting started.
“We’re going to continue to build on it,” Mitchell said about the offense’s start. “We’re not perfect, but we’re playing well.”